1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a switch, more particularly to a switch with a pivotable actuator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, a conventional state-setting switch 1 is shown to comprise a lower insulator body 2, an upper insulator body 3 mounted on the lower insulator body 2, and a set of switch actuators 4 pivoted to the upper insulator body 3.
The lower insulator body 2 is a rectangular body made of an insulator material, such as rubber or plastic, and has a top surface 21. A flange 23 is disposed around the rim of the top surface 21. A plurality of conductive terminal sets 22 extend parallel to the top surface 21 along a longitudinal direction. Each terminal set 22 includes a long terminal 221 and a short terminal 222. The short terminal 222 extends above the long terminal 221 to make electrical connection therebetween, as best shown in FIG. 3. Each of the terminals 221, 222 extends downwardly to form a terminal tail 223.
The upper insulator body 3 is a rectangular body made of an insulator material, such as rubber or plastic, and has an open bottom end 31, a retaining cavity 32 extending inwardly from the open bottom end 31, and a peripheral wall 33 for engaging the flange 23 of the lower insulator body 2. The upper insulator body 3 further has a set of actuator slots 321, each corresponding to a terminal set 321 of the lower insulator body 2 and being communicated with the retaining cavity 32.
Each switch actuator 4 is made of an insulator material, such as rubber or plastic, and has a mounting portion 41 retained pivotally in the retaining cavity 32, a pressing projection 42 projecting downwardly from the mounting portion 41, and an operating portion 43 extending from the mounting portion 41 outwardly of the retaining cavity 32 via a respective one of the actuator slots 321.
During assembly, the mounting portions 41 of the switch actuators 4 are first mounted pivotally in the retaining cavity 32 of the upper insulator body 3 such that the operating portions 43 extend through the actuator slots 321. Then, with the pressing projections 42 abutting against the long terminals 221, the peripheral wall 33 of the upper insulator body 3 is mounted on the flange 23 of the lower insulator body 2.
As shown in FIG. 4, the application of a pressing force on the operating portion 43 of the actuator 4 will cause the pressing projection 42 to move the long terminal 221 away from the short terminal 222, thus breaking the electrical connection between the terminals 221, 222. The switch 1 is at a switch-off state at this time. As shown in FIG. 3, the application of an uplifting force on the operating portion 43 of the actuator 4 will move the pressing projection 42 away from the long terminal 221 such that, by virtue of the resiliency of the long terminal 221, the long terminal 221 once again contacts the short terminal 222, thus making the electrical connection between the terminals 221, 222. The switch 1 is at a switch-on state at this time.
The following are some of the drawbacks of the aforesaid conventional switch 1:
1. The terminal set 22 is normally made of copper, which is highly susceptible to spring fatigue after a period of use. Spring fatigue results in failure of the long terminal 221 to connect properly with the short terminal 222. This situation is aggravated in view of the contact configuration between the long and short terminals 221, 222, which requires a fairly strong torque on the long terminal 221 to make and break electrical connection with the short terminal 222.
2. No positioning mechanism is provided for stable positioning of the terminal sets 321 during the assembly process, which can result in an increase in defective products during mass production, thereby resulting in lower yield and higher costs.
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a switch with a pivotable actuator that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
Accordingly, a switch of this invention comprises:
a lower insulator body including a bottom wall with front and rear portions spaced apart in a longitudinal direction, and front and rear lower walls respectively extending upward from the front and rear portions of the bottom wall so as to define an upwardly opening terminal bridging cavity;
front and rear terminals spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction, each of the front and rear terminals having a middle portion embedded in a junction between the bottom wall and a respective one of the front and rear lower walls, a contact end portion extending from the middle portion into the terminal bridging cavity, and a connecting end portion extending from the middle portion and outwardly of the terminal bridging cavity;
a resilient conductive contact member having an anchoring segment mounted on the rear lower wall, and a bridging segment extending from the anchoring segment in the longitudinal direction and disposed above the contact end portions of the front and rear terminals in the terminal bridging cavity;
an upper insulator body including a top wall with front and rear ends spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, and front and rear upper walls respectively extending downward from the front and rear ends of the top wall so as to define a downwardly opening actuator mounting cavity, the front and rear upper walls respectively engaging the front and rear lower walls, the upper insulator body having an actuator slot formed through the front upper wall and communicated with the actuator mounting cavity; and
a pivotable actuator having
a mounting portion disposed pivotally in the actuator mounting cavity and pivotable about a pivot axis that extends in a transverse direction transverse to the longitudinal direction,
an operating portion extending from the mounting portion outwardly of the actuator mounting cavity via the actuator slot, and
a pressing projection projecting downwardly from the mounting portion toward the bridging segment of the contact member.
Application of a pressing force on the operating portion of the actuator causes the actuator to pivot in the actuator mounting cavity to a switch-on state and enables the pressing projection to press the bridging segment of the contact member downward so that the bridging segment bridges together the contact end portions of the front and rear terminals to make electrical connection between the front and rear terminals.